Crusade, written by the talented Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie, was an unexpected delight for me. It had all the action, complicated plots, teenage angst and the required heartthrobs that I've come to love in my books. The storyline starts in Spain at a school for hunters, teenagers learning to fight The Cursed Ones aka vamps. The story revolves around a group of 6 hunters, each with their own reasons for joining the Academy. As per usual, when a group of teenagers are thrown together you get the frenemies, jealousy, crushes, rivalries... the list goes on and on. Combine this with an end of days attitude that the world seems to have adopted and you have an awesome storyline.
The Cursed Ones are at war with the world, and quickly overpowering mankind. Most are too afraid to fight back and are forming alliances to save themselves. When one of the hunters, Jenn, is called home due to a death in the family, she is separated from her group and finds herself in a life or death situation due to the ultimate betrayal. Her team comes to rescue her in New Orleans where they meet up with a group of people called The Resistance. Mayhem ensues, good battles evil, and everyones live changes forever.
I loved that this story portrays vampires in the negative light that they originally started in, before they became romanticized by authors like Stephanie Meyer. No offense to Twilight, but I like my characters to have a dark side, and vampires thinking they are gods just because they have fangs totally does it for me. lol. The characters are all struggling with their own internal battles and each has to find a way to overcome them in order to save the world they love. From feisty and timid to cocky and insecure, this group of hunters has every personality covered. I love the creativity that the writing offers. These authors paint a world that had me wanting to jump in the pages so I could sign up for my own academy and kick some fanged butt. I was completely consumed by this book; I can't wait for the sequel to come out!
My only complaint for this book is, I wish this was the second book. There are so many flashbacks to the 2 years they spent in the Academy that show why two people are in love while another two are constantly fighting, but not enough to actually give the complete story. It was just enough to tease me and make me want to experience the whole story for myself. Having said that, I have to admit that this is the first book in a long time where I feel comfortable saying it has an original storyline. It was so refreshing to read about characters who are witty, smart, troubled and know exactly who the good guys are. I loved every word.
4 1/2 Sheep
AC
Dark vamps? Me like.....and what a high rating! I will have to check this one out sometime. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
Teen Angst? I'm going to avoid this one like the plague ;-p
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